


Drowning In Blood

by Smokestarrules



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Darkstorm is scary, F/M, I think this is a tag, No idea what I’m doing right now, Oneshot, but also a sweetie, hes weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 10:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13500184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokestarrules/pseuds/Smokestarrules
Summary: This was written for a contest on Warrior Cats Amino, And it’ll be my first submission here!...The Legend Of Darkstorm has been passed down for centuries, and it is Icekit’s turn to hear it. Listen alongside him as Winterbreeze, an elder, tells the story for the first time. What happened to Darkstorm to make him so.. insane? What was going on inside his head?Oneshot! Rated for violence and... basically suicide D:





	Drowning In Blood

Drowning in Blood

Scary Halloween contest entry for little mocha

 

“Tell me a story, Winterbreeze!” There was no sweeter sound than a kit begging for a story- or at least that’s what the elder thought. She purred, blinking down at the small cat.

“I’m afraid I’ve told you all of them, Icekit,” Winterbreeze purred, lying down and wrapping her tail around the kit. Her snowy white fur matched the smaller cat’s, but her eyes were blue, while Icekit’s were a light amber.

“Oh, come on!” Icekit demanded. His stubby tail waved frantically. “You’ve gotta have some left, you’ve just gotta!”

“Wellllll,” Winterbreeze pretended to think. “I might have one.” She paused looking at Icekit. “It’s scary though, I’m not sure you can take it.”

Icekit stared indignantly at her. “Of course I can!” He protested loudly. He was the son of her son, which was why she was so fond of him- but StarClan, he could be loud when he wanted to. Just like his father.

“Oh all right,” Winterbreeze drew herself to a siting position. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She rose up to her full height, towering over the kit. “Once, a long time ago in ThunderClan, there was a tom named Darkstorm. . .

“. . He was an extremely powerful cat, with respected parents, a great mentor, was larger than his father by the time he was a young warrior. He was the perfect candidate for the next deputy; smart, strong, respectful, kind, and then he got his apprentice. Every cat knew he’d be the next; as Stormstrike, their current deputy, grew older and weaker. Darkstorm was at his prime. . but something happened. .”

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It was a gathering, and the moon was burning bright. Darkstorm yawned as he sat down, waiting for the leaders to take their places on the Great Rock. He studied his large white forepaws in a bored manner, flicking his tail impatiently. Suddenly a cat slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground.

“Hey, watch it!” He spat, standing up and throwing the cat off of him. She was ShadowClan, a small calico with blinding green eyes.

“Sorry!” She shrank down. Darkstorm thought she was a warrior, but she was small. “It was an accident.”

He scoffed, sitting back down. “Whatever. Leave me alone.” It wouldn’t do to have his Clanmates see him interacting with a she-cat from another Clan.

Anger sparked in her eyes. “I apologized,” she said firmly, surprising him with her courage. “But now I take it back. I’m not sorry, and you’re a fox-heart!” And she stalked away, tail in the air.

Darkstorm was stunned. He’d always been feared, even in his own Clan. No cat wanted to pick a fight with him. No one argued with him, ever.

. . No cat had ever talked to him that way before. It was a new feeling; shame creeping up from his stomach to his throat, choking him.

He was completely and utterly smitten.

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“So Darkstorm had a forbidden love!” Icekit piped up. He’d been very patient (for a kit) and wanted to ask a question.

But Winterbreeze merely shushed him. “Let me continue,” she scolded evenly.

“Darkstorm fell for Lightshade hard and fast, and he became suddenly the best tom any she-cat could hope for. She-cats in his Clan noticed, and the rest of his Clanmates noticed his distraction, but his eyes were only for the small ShadowClan warrior. After many moons of trial and error - with practically no care for the Warrior code, mind you - he made Lightshade fall for him too.

“She loved him back, finally, and he was immensely happy, but the weight of their Clans was still on their shoulders. They agreed to never have kits, never spend a night together just in case, and they were happy together. They’d meet at gatherings, borders, anywhere. Never at night, which gave the risk of getting caught more, but stopped the temptations of kits.”

Winterbreeze’s voice grew sadder as Icekit smiled. She’d have to shatter that smile. It was a scary story, after all.

“ShadowClan and ThunderClan grew angry with each other. They accused each other of stealing prey. Worried, Darkstorm tried to calm his Clanmates, but they would not be appeased. The two Clans met in battle one time, and one time only. . “

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He was frantic. All worry about himself or even his Clanmates had evaporated; Where was Lightshade?! Darkstorm sprinted through the throngs of cats, using every sense he had to find his mate. He had to find her; she had to be okay. She had to be.

He spotted her. Lightshade was backed up against a stump, still too small to leap over it. One of his Clanmates, a tom called Rowanstrike, prowled towards her. Lightshade’s green eyes showed nothing but panic as blood dripped into them from a wound on her head.

Panic, combined with fury, was the only thing he felt as he charged towards Rowanstrike, taking the tom by surprise and bowling him over. “What-Darkstorm?!” The white tom underneath him widened his eyes. “W-what’re you doing!?”

Hot shame crept up into his throat but he pushed it down. He said nothing, but retreated off of his Clanmate to go and stand beside Lightshade.

“You okay?” Darkstorm asked her gently, licking the wound on her head. Her eyes were wide with terror as she glanced between himself and Rowanstrike, who was staring at them with narrowed eyes.

“Darkstorm- why?” Lightshade said, pelt bristling in horror. “You’ll be driven out of your Clan for this!”

“I don’t care,” Darkstorm said heavily, scanning the battle for any cats coming their way. He glared in the direction of Rowanstrike, who’d come closer.

“Traitor!” Rowanstrike yowled, and Darkstorm leaped. To his surprise, Rowanstrike slid underneath him. He landed squarely on the grass where the tom had stood and turned around, eyes widening.

Rowanstrike was pinning Lightshade down, having caught her off guard. He raked her belly with his hind paws, turning the ground beneath them red with blood as she shrieked in pain. Growling viciously, Rowanstrike bent to deliver the killing bite to her throat.

Darkstorm saw red.

Faster than he thought he could ever move he charged forward, carrying his old Clanmate off his paws and onto the ground. Long claws unsheathing, Darkstorm dug them into Rowanstrike’s neck, and tore. Blood spurted out of the tom’s throat, and Darkstorm back away, watching him as he coughed up blood, teetering on his paws.

“Traitor,” Rowanstrike repeated weakly, falling onto his side. “Traitor. . .” His last words. He was dead.

The battle fell silent to Darkstorm; all he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears. Euphoria rose inside him, and he turned to find Lightshade- but she was lying on the ground where Rowanstrike had pinned her, blood still spilling out of her stomach.

Blind panic once more.

Darkstorm raced to her side, catching her eyes as he started licking the wound frantically.

“Don’t you dare die on me!” He said in a panic, trying in vain to get her to stand up. “Li-Lightshade, you’re going to be okay. Y-you’re going to be okay!” Even he didn’t believe his words anymore.

She shook her head, wincing in pain. “I’m sorry Darkstorm,” she said, reaching up to lick his muzzle. “I’m so sorry. .”

Grief threatened to choke him. “It’s my fault!” He said venomously, unable to wrap his head around the fact that she was dying. “I was TO SLOW!” His voice rose to a roar as self-loathing swamped through him. “I should be the one dying, not you!”

Pain flashed in her eyes. “No- Darkstorm- it’s not-“ She trailed off, slumping back as blood bubbled at her muzzle. She was gone.

It was Darkstorm’s fault. He practically killed her. He’d been too slow, and so it was almost as if he’d given the last blow. His fault. His fault. His fault. He stood, claws still soaked in his mate’s blood. Rowanstrike’s body lay two fox-lengths away.

His fault. His fault. His fault.

Darkstorm’s mind cracked.

The battle had paused, paws frozen in mid-blow with the participants all staring at him in wariness, as if they sensed something bad was about to happen.

He lunged forward, sinking his teeth into a small apprentice-sized cat who’d foolishly come too close to the body of Lightshade. His jaws made contact with the apprentice’s ear, and with a show of incredible strength, he ripped it from the smaller cat’s head.

Stumbling back, the apprentice screeched with pain as Darkstorm dropped the ripped flesh onto the ground, crouching defensively over his dead mate’s body.

His fault. His fault. His fault.

The battle resumed, but Darkstorm was on his own side now. Any cat who even came close to himself and Lightshade would quickly find their path redirected. He was called traitor, murderer, fox-heart, and worse things.

He did not care.

He did not care about anything anymore, really.

Finally the battle ended. ShadowClan had won, chasing back the ThunderClan cats. Darkstorm’s Clan left him behind without a second glance; leaving ShadowClan to deal with him.

His fault. His fault. His fault.

ShadowClan didn’t need too ‘deal with him’ like they thought they would. The moment the warriors started advancing towards him, Darkstorm stood up tall, still standing over Lightshade’s body.

Those who were there describe the expression in his eyes as ‘pure madness’ and tears started to well up as the death of his mate caught up to him. Blood stained his claws and mouth, and he had not a scratch.

His fault. His fault. His fault.

Blinking slowly, Darkstorm stepped over Lightshade, standing in the pool of blood she’d left behind, raised one massive, blood-soaked paw, and slit his own throat.

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“Darkstorm’s mind was always broken,” said Winterbreeze, gazing up at the ceiling of the den with half-lidded eyes as Icekit stared at the ground. “He was a mistake to his parents, although none but him knew that, and he had so few friends. His world revolved around Lightshade, And once she was gone, nothing was holding him back from insanity except the lingering traces of her.”

Icekit looked at her, his eyes wide. “Did he ever see Lightshade again?” He asked sadly.

Winterbreeze shook her head. “No, he didn’t. When she died, she went to StarClan and is still there to this day. When he killed himself, unlike what he had wanted, he was sent to the Dark Forest, where he stays until he fades away completely. That will not happen for some time.”

The two fell into solemn silence as Icekit pondered this. His young, innocent heart ached for the dark cat, thinking that he did not deserve such a fate. Winterbreeze watched the exit to the den, seeing stars starting to appear in the sky. She knew Darkstorm was still in the Dark Forest, not having been forgotten. Perhaps he would never be. And that, that was a truly terrifying thought.

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Blood was everywhere here; he’d gotten used to it. It wove around his paws, making his dark fur a musty reddish color. It’s smell clogged his nose, making it hard to scent anything but.

Red eyes blinked slowly as he watched the trees, no emotion visible in them. He padded forward for an unimaginable amount of time, not caring as his paws sank deeper and deeper into the blood. He grinned- surely this was the right way.

After so many seconds, hours, days maybe, of practically wading in blood, he found what he was looking for.

Sharply contrasting the darkness and blood-tinted trees, were tall, bright colors that stopped abruptly two mouse-lengths ahead of him.

StarClan. He’d finally found the way out.

Finally emotion streaked across his face in a manic smile as he began to laugh.

“I will have my revenge.” He hissed as he composed himself, narrowing his eyes at the colorful plains and forests.

“I’m coming Lightshade, I’m returning for you,” said Darkstorm, a crazed look in his reddish-amber eyes.

“And this time no one will take you from me. . We’ll be together forever. .”

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, I hope you guys like this!! I’ve submitted quite a few stories (mostly oneshots) on fanfiction, but this is the first time on AO3, thanks!


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